BOSTON,    llth  OCTOBEK,  1859. 


A  T  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  BOSTON  ATHEN^UM,  held  on 
Monday,  10th  October,  the  following  resolution  was  unani- 
mously adopted :  — 

Resolved,  That  the  Trustees  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  desirous 
to  second  the  generous  design  of  Mr.  JARVES,  and  to  secure  for  the 
Athenaeum  and  the  citizens  of  Boston  a  collection  of  works  of 
peculiar  value,  hereby  guarantee  a  subscription  of  $5,000  toward 
the  purchase  of  the  Jarves  Gallery,  provided  that  the  remaining 
sum  needed  for  its  purchase  be  raised  by  private  subscription  or 
otherwise,  within  a  month  from  this  date. 

The  undersigned  were,  by  a  subsequent  vote,  appointed  a  Com- 
mittee to  endeavor  to  obtain  by  subscription  the  sum  needed 
($15,000)  to  complete  the  amount  required  for  the  purchase. 

They  confidently  appeal  to  all  lovers  of  Art  in  the  community, 
and  to  the  citizens  generally,  to  assist  them  by  their  subscriptions 
to  obtain  a  Gallery  of  Paintings,  which  will  be  of  permanent  and 
increasing  value,  and  which,  in  its  kind,  will  be  unrivalled  in 
America. 

EDWARD   C.  CABOT. 
ROBERT  W.  HOOPER. 
FRANCIS  E.  PARKER. 
MARTIN   BRIMMER. 
CHARLES  E.  NORTON. 

MUSEUM  OF  FINE  ARTS 
BOSTON 


LETTERS 


RELATING    TO    A 


COLLECTION    OF    PICTURES/ 


MADE   BY 


MR.  J.  J.  JAKVES. 


CAMBRIDGE: 
PRIVATELY    PRINTED. 

1859. 


RIVERSIDE,    CAMBRIDGE: 
PRINTF.D   BY    H.    O.    IIOIXIHTON   AND    COMPAM     .^ 

MUSEUM  OF  FINE  ARTS 
BOSTON 


h 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE. 


THE  following  papers,  relating  to  the  collection  of  pictures 
formed  by  Mr.  Jarves,  are  printed  in  order  to  present  to  those 
interested  to  obtain  such  a  gallery  for  Boston  the  information 
necessary  as  a  basis  for  action. 

In  compliance  with  a  request  to  that  eifect  from  Mr.  Jarves, 
I  would  beg  those  to  whom  this  pamphlet  may  be  sent  to  con- 
sider that  part  of  his  letter  which  relates  to  the  value  set  upon 
his  pictures,  and  the  terms  of  his  offer,  as  a  private  communi- 
cation. If  the  proposal  made  by  Mr.  Jarves  should  be  ac- 
cepted, there  would  be  no  further  need  of  privacy. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  hoped  that  such  an  opportunity  of  obtain- 
ing for  Boston  a  gallery  of  specimens  of  the  best  Italian  Art 
may  not  be  lost,  and  that  Mr.  Jarves' s  very  generous  proposi- 
tion may  be  at  once  accepted. 

CHARLES   ELIOT   NORTON. 

Sept.  27,   1859. 


CONTENTS. 


I'A'iK 

LETTER  OF  MR.  JARVES 5 

LETTER  OF  MR.  C.  C.  BLACK 15 

LETTER  OF  MR.  T.  A.  TROLLOPS,  FROM  THE  LONDON  ATHE- 

N-iEUM  OF  12TH  FEBRUARY,  1859 23 

ARTICLE  FROM  THE  BOSTON  COURIER  OF  9Tii  FEBRUARY,  1859  2« 

LETTER  OF  MONSIEUR  A.  F.  Rio  :;  i 


LETTERS. 


LETTER    OF   MR.    JARVES. 

FLORENCE,  August  26,  1859. 


MY  DEAR  SIR: 


IT  has  long  been  a  pet  scheme  of  mine  to  ini- 
tiate in  Boston  a  permanent  gallery  of  paintings,  with 
particular  reference  to  the  chronology,  motives,  and 
technical  progress  of  Art,  from  the  earliest  development 
in  Italy  of  the  Christian  idea,  until  its  climax  in  the 
matured  genius  of  its  several  illustrious  schools.  Master- 
pieces it  was  hopeless  to  expect  to  secure.  Researches, 
however,  made  for  my  private  studies,  showed  me  that 
it  was  feasible  for  one  on  the  spot  to  get  together  a  valu- 
able collection  of  pictures,  covering  the  ground  from 
the  tenth  to  the  sixteenth  century,  characteristic  of  the 
great  masters  and  their  schools,  illustrating  the  history  of 
Art,  provided  it  were  gone  about  promptly,  quietly,  and 
diligently.  Unwilling  to  lose  the  opportunity,  I  decided 
on  taking  the  responsibility  upon  myself  of  making  such 
a  collection  and  of  its  subsequent  adoption  by  my  towns- 
men. My  own  means  being  inadequate,  I  borrowed  a 
sufficient  sum  to  warrant  the  undertaking,  being  per- 


suaded,  that,  should  my  project  fail  as  regarded  Boston, 
the  pictures  would  always  he  valuahle  in  the  European 
market.  I  lost  no  time  in  going  systematically  to  work 
to  secure  genuine  specimens  of  Byzantine  and  Graeco- 
Italian  paintings,  and  so  in  chiefly  following  the  current 
of  the  Florentine,  Sienese,  and  Umbrian  schools  to  the 
time  of  Raflfael.  My  adventures  in  this  pursuit  were 
often  curious  and  instructive.  They  involved  an  inquisi- 
tion into  the  intricacies  of  numberless  villas,  palaces,  con- 
vents, churches,  and  household  dens,  all  over  this  portion 
of  Italy ;  the  employment  of  many  agents  to  scent  out 
my  prey;  many  fatiguing  journeyings;  miles  upon  miles 
of  wearisome  staircases ;  dusty  explorations  of  dark  re- 
treats ;  dirt,  disappointment,  fraud,  lies,  and  money  often 
fruitlessly  spent ;  all  compensated,  however,  by  the  grad- 
ual accumulation  of  a  valuable  gallery.  It  sometimes 
happened  that  the  search  for  some  indispensable  master 
in  the  series  cost  more  time  and  money  than  would  have 
secured  many  more  popular  names,  though  of  less  true 
merit.  On  one  occasion,  to  get  nine  pictures,  I  was 
obliged  to  purchase  a  gallery  of  upwards  of  two  hundred; 
the  unnecessary  ones  being  sold  at  auction  in  England. 
On  another,  having  discovered  a  fine  old  Pollajuolo,  the 
owner  would  not  let  me  have  it,  unless  I  bought  all  in  the 
room,  (forty-four  in  number,)  which  also  went  to  auction. 
I  discovered  a  hoard  of  four  thousand  pictures  got  to- 
gether a  century  ago  by  an  eccentric  Abbe  who  bought 
everything  brought  to  him.  They  had  been  inherited  by 
an  aged  miser,  from  whom,  with  painful  negotiation,  I 
obtained  a  fine  altar-piece  by  Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo  and 
other  pictures.  In  the  lumber-room  of  a  famous  con- 


vent  I  chanced  upon  a  beautiful  Perugino,  so  smoked  and 
dirtied  as  to  be  cast  aside  by  the  monks,  who,  for  a 
consideration,  gladly  let  me  bear  it  away,  and  which,  upon 
cleaning,  proved  to  be  untouched,  and  one  of  his  finest 
compositions.  It  was  a  small  easel  picture.  A  beautiful 
full-length  portrait  of  a  Spanish  grandee,  by  Velasquez, 
was  found  among  the  earth  and  rubbish  of  a  noble 
villa,  cut  out  from  its  frame,  crusted  with  dirt,  but 
beneath  in  fine  preservation.  But  as  I  have  written  a 
chapter  on  the  Acquisition  and  Authentication  of  Pictures 
in  a  History  of  the  Italian  Schools  that  I  am  preparing 
for  the  press,  I  will  not  prolong  this  part  of  my  letter. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  collection  has  become  sufficiently 
interesting  and  valuable  to  attract  the  encomiums  of  dis- 
tinguished amateurs  from  various  countries  and  obtain 
proposals  for  advantageous  sales.  I  will  give  a  few 
details  of  the  principal  pictures. 

A  Byzantine  Triptych,  12th  century,  containing  De- 
scent into  Hades,  Transfiguration  and  Wanderings  of 
Israelites,  etc.,  is  for  preservation  and  beauty  a  unique 
specimen,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  extends.  It  demon- 
strates a  condition  of  Art  greatly  in  advance  of  corre- 
sponding Italian,  uniting  the  strength  of  Orgagna  to  the 
miniature  delicacy  of  Fra  Angelico. 

An  altar-piece,  A.  D.  1190,  of  Greece-Italian  school,  a 
mystic  painting  of  rare  beauty  and  singular  excellence ; 
engraved  in  Fumagalli's  "Museo  di  Pitture"  plate  1035, 
vol.  13,  and  fully  described.  A  tripartite  picture  of  the 
tenth  century,  very  characteristic  and  rare,  —  nothing  cor- 
responding to  it  in  collections  here.  Migliarini  says,  from 
the  character  of  the  cross  on  it  (Y)?  it  may  date  back  as 


8 

far  as  the  seventh  century.  Another  curious  Triptych 
anterior  to  Cimabue,  containing  nineteen  compositions 
from  Lives  of  Christ  and  St.  John  Baptist. 

A.n  altar-piece  by  Margaritone,  (124-0,)  seven  composi- 
tions, perfect,  naive,  and  curious.  A  beautiful  specimen 
of  Cimabue  ;  Story  of  S.  Nicolo  di  Bari.  Annunciation, 
by  Pietro  Cavallini.  Entombment,  (altar-piece,)  by  Giotto. 
A  magnificent  Triptych,  five  feet  high,  painted  for  the 
noble  Vecchietta  family,  with  a  document,  ascribing  it  to 
Giotto,  of  the  family  from  whom  I  purchased  it ;  but  the 
color  is  more  like  the  Paduan  Giotteschi,  deep  and  rich, 
in  fine  preservation.  Two  fine  specimens  of  Puccio 
Capanna ;  ditto  of  Taddeo  and  Agnolo  Gaddi ;  ditto  of 
Orgagna  (for  which  an  offer  was  made  by  Sir  Charles 
Eastlake) ;  ditto  of  Giottino,  uncommonly  fine,  both  in  sub- 
jects and  preservation,  one  of  them  from  the  Rinuccini 
Gallery.  A  small  altar-piece,  by  Fra  Angelico ;  a  noble 
Duccio  of  Siena,  a  Diptych ;  Spinello  Aretino,  a  Cruci- 
fixion ;  and  numerous  other  pictures  of  importance,  as 
illustrating  some  special  Christian  motive  or  local  style. 

Among  the  Sienese,  a  gem  of  an  altar-piece  by  Simone 
di  Martino  (Memmi)  an  Epiphany,  with  gradino ;  the 
drawing  of  this  is  in  the  Uffizii.  Of  Sano  di  Pietro, 
the  equal  of  Fra  Angelico,  two  as  fine  specimens  as  Italy 
can  show:  the  Coronation,  thirty-six  figures,  and  the 
Journey  of  the  Magi. 

Sassetto,  Giovanni  di  Paolo,  Matteo  da  Siena,  Taddeo 
di  Bartolo,  a  unique  and  magnificent  Assumption  of 
the  Virgin,  by  Ambrogio  Lorenzetti,  a  gem  of  mystic 
art,  etc.,  represent  the  Purists.  For  the  Naturalists, 
tracing  the  progress  of  landscape,  mythological  and 


9 

historical  painting,  I  have  beautiful  specimens  by  Paolo 
Uccello,  Dello,  Gozzoli,  and  a  singular  picture,  a  Bridal- 
Waiter,  painted  for  the  Piccolomini  of  Siena,  by  Pintu- 
ricchio  ;  The  Disarming  of  Cupid;  a  signed  picture, 
by  Gentile  da  Fabriano ;  Tabernacle  picture  by  Maso- 
lino  ;  fragment  of  a  gradino  by  Masaccio,  figures  won- 
derful for  their  vigorous  naturalness  ;  a  Botticelli,  not 
excelled  in  beauty  and  perfection  by  any  in  Florence ; 
Pollajuolo,  Filippino,  Fra  Filippo,  Lorenzo  di  Credi  (an 
injured  altar-piece,  and  a  perfect  easel-picture  in  his  best 
manner) ;  Piero  di  Cosimo,  Andrea  del  Sarto  (altar-piece 
and  a  fresco,  the  latter  injured) ;  Franciabigio,  Pontormo, 
Beccafumi,  Albertinelli,  Granacci,  Luca  Signorelli  ;  a 
fresco  of  Domenico  Ghirlandajo,  perfect;  Giovanni  Bel- 
lini; Squarcione;  Giorgione,  wonderful  in  color, —  a  Cir- 
cumcision ;  Cesare  da  Sesto,  etc.,  etc. 

To  you,  who  are  familiar  with  these  artists,  their 
names  will  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  scope  of  the 
collection.  In  condition,  they  are,  as  a  whole,  purer  than 
those  of  the  galleries,  and  are  favorable  specimens  of  the 
masters  they  represent,  outside  of  their  greatest  works. 

Authentic  documents  seldom  accompany  pictures ;  fic- 
titious, often.  I  have  piles  of  documentary  evidence, 
opinions,  etc.,  but  my  chief  reliance  is  internal  proof. 
My  own  judgment,  after  many  years'  conscientious  study 
in  the  presence  of  acknowledged  originals,  and  constant 
association  with  experienced  artists  and  amateurs,  has 
with  myself  considerable  weight.  Besides,  I  fortify  it 
by  the  opinions  and  testimony  of  the  best  European 
judges, — my  sole  desire  being  historic  truth,  unbiased  by 
any  preconceived  theory  or  enthusiasm  for  one  specialty 


10 

of  Art  over  another.  Hence,  in  several  cases,  my  pic- 
tures have  names  of  less  weight  than  might  pass  cur- 
rent with  observers  in  general,  or  which,  imitating  the 
custom  of  public  galleries,  I  might  with  impunity  adopt. 
Thus,  one  of  my  most  remarkable  paintings  is  ascribed 
by  good  judges  to  Botticelli,  or  Pietro  Pollajuolo,  names 
of  pecuniary  weight  in  the  picture-market  ;  but  my 
own  studies  lead  me  to  ascribe  it  to  Francesco  di  Mar- 
tino  of  Siena,  a  name  little  known,  though  the  picture 
in  question  is  worthy  of  either  of  the  other  painters. 

One  of  my  most  interesting  is  a  Pietd,  bought  of 
the  Chigi  family  as  a  Perugino,  but  which  subsequent 
examination,  confirmed  by  high  opinions,  leads  me  to 
ascribe  to  Raflfael,  before  he  was  sixteen,  from  a  design 
of  his  master's,  with  variations. 

The  Perugino  already  referred  to  is  the  Baptism  of 
Christ,  the  Almighty  and  angels  overhead. 

Other  pictures  in  the  collection  are  an  Ecce  Homo 
by  Sodoma,  equal  to  anything  of  the  kind  by  Raffael,  - 
and  one  of  his  lovely  Madonnas,  the  type  being  superior 
to  his  rival's  ;  a  noble  picture  by  Paul  Veronese,  from 
the  Pisani  Gallery ;  a  Crucifixion  by  Rubens,  solemn  in 
color,  and  remarkable  for  its  horses  and  dogs ;  a  large 
altar-piece  of  Fra  Bartolommeo,  painted  for  the  Antinori 
family,  rich  in  color,  with  broad  landscape  containing 
the  histories  of  Christ  subsequent  to  the  Resurrection  ; 
and,  lastly,  a  Leonardo,  a  Holy  Family,  referred  to  in 
one  of  his  own  letters,  inherited  by  a  will  recorded  at 
Florence  by  the  gentleman  from  whom  it  came  to  me 
through  the  intervention  of  one  party  only. 

I  affix  an  estimate  of  value  upon  the  pictures,  based 


11 


upon  my  experience  of  the  market,  though  less  than  I 
should  demand,  were  the  collection  to  be  sold  on  specu- 
lation. 

The  Leonardo  has  been  estimated  by  Baron  Garriod 
at  100,000  francs,  as  the  price  I  ought  to  receive  for  it, 
whenever  fairly  made  known.  Rio  puts  it  at  ,£2,000. 
I  value  it,  at  the  lowest,  say  10,000  dollars. 


The  Leonardo, 
Fra  Bartolommeo, 
Perugino, 

Sodoma,  Ecce  Homo, 
"        Holy  Family, 
Velasquez, 
Botticelli, 
Sano  di  Pietro,  Coronation 

"         "     Epiphany, 
Paul  Veronese, 
Fra  Angelico,* 
Byzantine  Triptych, 
Gentile  da  Fabriano, 
Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo, 
Domenico  Ghirlandajo, 
Andrea  del  Sarto, 
Raff'ael,  youthful, 
Matteo  da  Siena, 


In  Boston,  Murillo,  5,000) 

S.  Rosa,  600  i-  6,300 

Sundry  others,  700  ) 

57,570 

Besides  a  number  set  aside  for  sale  or  exchange,  being  duplicates 
of  masters,  or  not  necessary,  but  which  cost  upwards  of  2,000 

$59,570 

In  round  numbers,  I  value  the  entire  collection  at 
$60,000,  which  is  much  less  than  it  would  be  held  at  in 
the  hands  of  dealers,  and  considerably  under  the  rates  at 


$10,000 

Masolino, 

$225 

8,000 

Masaccio, 

450 

2,000 

Lorenzo  di  Credi, 

750 

2,500 

2  Orgagna, 

600 

1,000 

Giotto,  Triptych, 

1,000 

2,000 

Lorenzetti,  Entombment, 

400 

1,500 

"          Assumption, 

600 

i,     1,500 

Lo  Spagna, 

600 

1,200 

G.  Bellini, 

350 

500 

Giorgione, 

250 

750 

(?) 

400 

125 

2  Paolo  Uccello, 

600 

600 

Dello, 

400 

800 

Giovanni  di  Paolo, 

150 

300 

Sassetto, 

100 

500 

Simone  Memmi 

750 

450 

Margaritone, 

200 

400 

Altar-Piece, 

320 

34,125 

8,145 

34,125 

fay  seventy-five  others,  at 

9,000 

*  The  companion  piece  is  held  at  1,320  dollars  by  the  owner. 


which  Messrs.  Lombardi  &  Ugobaldi  sold  their  early 
masters  to  the  National  Gallery,  viz. :  $36,000  for  twenty 
pictures.  I  am  now  urged  to  put  prices  upon  the  pic- 
tures by  an  agent  from  London  recommended  by  Sir 
Charles  Eastlake.  I  still  cling  to  my  original  project; 
but  if  my  fellow-citizens  do  not  consider  in  a  favorable 
light  the  proposition  I  authorize  you  to  make  in  my 
behalf,  I  shall  soon  be  compelled  to  consent  to  the  sale 
of  at  least  a  portion  of  the  gallery  in  England  or  Rus- 
sia, because,  as  one  always  does  in  such  affairs,  I  ex- 
ceeded my  original  limits,  and  the  interest  money  I 
must  pay  is  heavier  than  I  can  continue  long  to  afford. 
It  would  gratify  me,  however,  to  have  my  estimate 
amended  or  confirmed  by  judicious  judges.  Perhaps 
the  fairest  method  would  be  to  select  three,  —  an  ama- 
teur, artist,  and  dealer ;  the  several  kinds  of  valuation 
would  then  be  represented,  and  an  average  could  be 
struck.  I  am  persuaded  that  for  $60,000  it  would  be 
impossible  now  to  get  together  a  collection  of  equal  value. 
Indeed,  some  of  the  pictures  parted  with,  it  would  be  out 
of  the  question  to  hope  to  replace  them.  I  have  worked 
hard  for  several  years,  with  extraordinary  facilities  for 
their  collection,  —  my  entire  time,  energies,  and  all  the 
money  I  could  control  being  devoted  to  it ;  and  nothing 
less  than  the  enthusiasm  I  feel  for  Art,  and  the  desire  to 
aid  in  forming  an  institution  worthy  of  the  intellectual 
claims  of  Boston,  unique  of  its  kind  in  America,  has 
sustained  me  thus  far.  You  fully  comprehend  that  this 
sort  of  labor  can  neither  be  incited  nor  repaid  by  pecu- 
niary gain ;  and  though  I  might  finally  realize  a  hand- 
some profit  from  its  sale,  still  it  would  be  at  the  cost  of 


13 

much  feeling.  To  obviate  this  and  secure  my  aim,  I 
propose,  for  $20,000,  to  deliver  the  collection,  with  a 
descriptive  catalogue,  published  in  connection  with  my 
History  of  the  Schools  of  Painting  represented  by  the 
Gallery,  (copyrights  of  both  to  be  mine,  with  the  privi- 
lege of  illustration  from  the  pictures,)  in  good  order, 
either  in  Italy  or  Boston,  (if  the  latter,  actual  expenses  to 
be  paid,  of  packing,  freight,  and  insurance,)  to  any  asso- 
ciation or  individuals  pledged  to  make  it  finally  the  nucleus 
of  a  permanent  gallery  for  Boston,  the  final  arrangement 
for  exhibition  (hanging,  lights,  and  temperature,  —  the 
last  an  important  consideration  for  pictures  on  wood) 
to  be  intrusted  to  me,  and  the  collection  to  be  kept  to- 
gether as  a  whole,  under  some  distinctive  name.  Or, 
including  the  above  conditions,  a  committee,  as  above 
suggested,  being  appointed  to  appraise  the  pictures,  I  will 
give  one  half  of  their  appraisal  for  the  above  purpose,  the 
other  half  being  paid  to  me. 

Further,  as  it  is  desirable  to  increase  the  value  and 
efficiency  of  the  gallery  by  the  addition  of  masters  of  the 
Venetian,  Lombard,  and  Bolognese  schools,  illustrating 
the  gradual  decline  of  Art  in  Italy,  if  funds  be  raised  for 
that  end,  I  agree  to  give  my  time  and  experience  (travel- 
ling-expenses paid)  to  their  acquisition.  I  have  on  my 
list  several  valuable  paintings,  known  only  to  a  few,  which 
the  exhaustion  of  my  means  alone  has  prevented  me 
from  obtaining.  Among  them  a  fine  Giorgione,  Titian, 
and  an  undoubted  Raffael,  —  second  manner,  somewhat 
injured,  but  untouched.  The  subject,  Vision  of  St.  Ber- 
nard, the  Madonna  introduced  being  that  of  the  Foligno. 
It  was  the  gradino  of  one  of  his  altar-pieces.  But  these 


u 

or  others  must  be  approached  with  much  caution,  as 
Italian  imaginations  are  never  more  vivid  than  in  regard 
to  the  prices  of  works  of  Art,  especially  if  sought  for  by 
strangers. 

For  a  sum  not  exceeding  $50,000,  I  can  secure  for 
Boston,  including  my  own,  a  highly  respectable  gal- 
lery of  Italian  Art,  consisting  of  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  genuine  paintings,  embracing 
many  good  specimens  of  the  best  masters,  provided  the 
means  be  promptly  and  quietly  furnished.  Mr.  E.  N. 
Perkins  tells  me  that  the  common  Athenaeum  exhibitions 
have  netted  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  yearly  to  that  institu- 

•/  J 

tion.  Would  not  the  exhibition  of  such  a  gallery  as  I 
propose,  supposing  it  was  considered  advisable  to  put  on 
it  a  small  admittance  fee  for  the  present,  produce  a  hand- 
some fund  for  ulterior  purposes  1  —  and  would  it  not 
greatly  benefit  Boston  by  attracting  visitors  from  all 
parts  of  the  Union  ]  While  some  public-spirited  citizens 
of  New  York  have  been  debating  the  buying  of  the 
Campana  Gallery  of  Rome,  the  Russian  government  has 
taken  it  at  $1,840,000.  Boston  pays  $10,000  for  a 
statue,  and  $8,000  for  a  picture  of  Copley's.  Surely, 
then,  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  her  large-minded 
men  should  be  willing  to  contribute  $50,000  to  inaugu- 
rate a  Public  Gallery,  beginning  with  some  two  hundred 
paintings,  embracing  a  history  of  the  Italian  schools  for 
five  centuries  ;  or,  if  that  be  too  large  an  idea  for  the 
present,  $20,000  for  those  that  I  possess  ;  which  price 
even  would  make  me  an  actual  contributor  of  nearly  one- 
third  their  entire  cost.  My  sole  motive  in  mentioning  this 
is  to  show  that  I  am  in  earnest,  and  to  stimulate  others. 


15 

It  was  my  intention  to  return  to  Boston  the  coming- 
autumn,  but  I  shall  probably  be  detained  here  another 
year.  My  time  here  may  be  usefully  devoted  to  the  en- 
largement of  the  gallery,  as  has  been  suggested.  The 
locality  and  history  of  every  picture  this  way  to  be  pro- 
cured are  well  known  to  me. 

Faithfully  yours, 

JAMES  J.  JARVES. 
CHARLES  E.  NORTON,  Esq. 


LETTER    OF   MR.    C.    C.    BLACK. 

July,  1859. 
MY  DEAR  NORTON  : 

WHEN  Goldsmith  laid  down,  as  one  of  the  two 
rules  by  which  a  reputation  for  connoisseurship  might 
be  attained,  that  the  aspirant  must  praise  the  works  of 
Pietro  Perugino,  we  may  presume  he  did  so,  not  from 
any  accurate  appreciation  he  himself  possessed  of  that 
old  painter's  merits,  but  rather  that  he  selected  the 
name  as  that  of  a  recondite  and  rarely  investigated 
luminary  in  the  galaxy  of  Art.  Keener  eyes  and  better 
aesthetic  telescopes  have,  however,  of  late  years,  been 
directed  towards  the  pictorial  sky,  and  Perugino's  name 
would  now  stand  far  down,  were  we  to  catalogue  the 
lights  which  shine  from  distances  beyond  the  orbits  even 
of  Giotto  and  Cimabue,  till  the  gazer  is  finally  bewildered 
among  Sienese  nebulae  and  Byzantine  star-dust.  These 
thoughts  came  on  me  forcibly,  on  crossing  the  Piazza  Ma- 
ria Antonia,  after  a  by  no  means  thorough  examination  of 


16 

the  very  interesting  collection  formed  by  our  friend  J.  J. 
Jarves.  Although  I  think  you  visited  it,  when  in  Flor- 
ence some  years  ago,  his  untiring  energy  has  added  to  it 
so  largely  since  you  were  among  us,  that  I  am  minded  to 
give  you  (without  much  pretence  to  chronological  accu- 
racy) some  notes  of  a  few  chief  objects  of  my  admiration. 
Though  aware  that  Mr.  Jarves  had  confined  his  pur- 
chases principally  to  the  more  ancient  masters,  proposing 
— and  wisely — to  illustrate  the  germ  and  growth  of 
Modern  Art,  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  distance  to 
which  skill  and  patience  have  carried  him  back,  and 
found  him,  to  my  surprise,  the  possessor  of  one  of  the 
earliest  known  representations  of  the  Crucifixion,  dating 
from  the  tenth,  or  possibly  the  ninth  century.  By  the 
wjiy,  in  writing  to  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the  gal- 
leries of  the  Catacombs,  I  may  enter  a  caveat  against 
the  accusation  of  inaccuracy,  by  explaining  that  1  mean 
one  of  the  earliest  movable  representations,  excluding,  of 
course,  wall-paintings.  Specimens  of  this  date  are  natu- 
rally very  rare  ;  some,  however,  there  are,  and  well 
authenticated,  one  in  particular  in  the  Museum  of  Fine 
Arts  at  Florence,  closely  resembling  this  of  Mr.  Jarves. 
A  marked  and  distinctive  peculiarity  is  the  form  of  the 
cross,  which,  indeed,  can  be  termed  so  merely  for  con- 
venience, as  it  is  Y-shaped,  curiously  resembling  the 
embroidery  on  a  priestly  stole,  and  figuring,  moreover,  in 
the  shield  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  To  step 
from  this  strange  relic  of  early  piety  to  Margaritone  of 
Arezzo  may  not  be  strictly  chronological ;  but,  as  I  said 
before,  this  I  do  not  profess  to  be.  This  old  master  is 
represented  here  by  a  Virgin,  attended  by  the  Saints 


17 

Peter  and  Paul,  the  central  painting  surrounded  with 
smaller  ones,  which  show  various  events  of  their  lives. 
Their  martyrdoms  in  particular  are  packed  with  an  econ- 
omy of  space  truly  wonderful.  In  singular  contrast  to 
the  hard,  rugged,  Ben-Jon  sonish  energy  of  Margari- 
tone  is  a  Greek  painting  of  very  early  date,  (well 
known  to  collectors,  and  engraved  by  Fumagalli,) 
highly  finished  in  detail,  the  jewels  of  the  tiara  and  the 
folds  of  embroidered  drapery  quite  wonderful,  but  the 
features  smooth,  polished,  and  insignificant  as  one  of 
Hayley's  poems.  I  was  much  pleased  with  a  small  Gio- 
vanni di  Paolo,  representing  a  female  saint  in  gray  who 
kneels  to  a  Pope.  How  these  old  artists  caught  the  key- 
note of  character  in  their  figures !  It  seems  as  though 
there  was  in  the  childhood  of  Art  something  analogous 
to  the  actual  childhood  of  human  life  ;  for  even  as  an 
observant  child  unfailingly  selects  the  chief  characteristic, 
bodily  or  mental,  of  a  visitor,  so  do  we  find  these  early 
pai nters  insisting  on  distinctive  character  as  determinately 
as  though  they  had  just  been  reading  the  "Ars  Poetica." 
We  have  here  a  demure  train-bearer  and  a  sulky  cardi- 
nal, both  of  whom  1  have  seen  in  Roman  processions, 
Corpus  Domini,  for  instance,  times  without  number. 

Duccio,  whose  noble  picture  at  Siena  hangs  on  the 
Cathedral  walls  so  awkwardly  as  to  be  hardly  visible, 
may  be  admired  here  much  more  satisfactorily,  in  a 
beautiful  Virgin  and  Child,  as  also  in  a  Crucifixion, 
showing  what,  to  me,  was  a  somewhat  novel  treatment 
of  this  much-worn  subject.  The  chief  personage  among 
the  spectators  is  a  Roman  soldier  in  all  the  gorgeous 
panoply  of  war,  sagum,  paludamentum,  etc.,  etc.,  whose 

3 


18 

attitude  of  determination  somewhat  puzzled  me  till  I 
bgthought  me  of  the  centurion  (called  by  the  Church  of 
Rome  '•  Longinus  ")  who  declared,  "  Truly,  this  man  was 
the  Son  of  God !  "  If  any  doubt  could  exist,  it  would 
be  removed  by  noticing  the  countenance  of  the  soldier 
behind  him.  Wonder,  horror,  and  the  reserve  generated 
by  discipline,  are  all  combined  in  his  attitude  ;  and  we 
may  clearly  see  his  consciousness  that  what  in  his  cap- 
tain may  be  but  an  unguarded  word  would  in  him  be 
flat  blasphemy.  Perhaps  no  better  example  could  be 
found,  to  show  the  soul  these  early  masters  put  into  their 
works,  than  the  various  expressions,  gestures,  and  cos- 
tumes here  displayed  on  a  space  not  larger  than  a  sheet 
of  letter-paper. 

A  Virgin  and  Child  with  a  Goldfinch,  which  hangs 
near  the  Duccio,  shows  how  much  the  Italian  painters  fol- 
lowed each  other,  or  were,  possibly,  all  led  by  some  now 
obsolete  tradition,  in  the  accompaniments  to  their  chief 
figures.  This  work  is  ascribed,  doubtfully,  to  Giotto, 
who,  however,  contributes  one  indubitable  Entombment. 
There  is  a  Cimabue,  genuine  in  style,  and  genuine  in 
subject,  too,  as  representing  one  of  those  delightful  facts 
which  occurred  only  in  the  "good  old  times," — St.  Nich- 
olas throwing  gold  balls  into  the  windows  of  poor,  por- 
tionless maidens.  You  have  Santa  Glaus  still  among 
you,  and  can  tell  whether  he  yet  indulges  in  that  benefi- 
cent play :  I  fear  that  the  acquaintance  our  English  poor 
have  with  gilded  balls  is  of  a  less  pleasing  character. 

Fra  Angelico  appears  here  unmistakably  in  a  painting 
of  three  saints,  St.  Zenobio,  St.  Francis,  and  St.  Thomas 
(I  forget  which  of  them) ;  and  an  Adoration  of  the  Magi, 


19 

by  Simone  Mem  mi,  would  attract  any  one's  notice,  if  only 
from  a  wonderful  group  of  men,  horses,  and  camels, 
thrust  together  in  much-admired  disorder.  Some  such 
group  may  have  been  seen  by  Shakspeare,  in  his  mind's 
eye  or  otherwise,  when  he  wrote  the  description  of  the 
tapestry  in  the  "  Rape  of  Lucrece,"  where  "  for  Achilles' 
image  stood  a  spear  grasped  in  an  armed  hand." 

I  have  really  no  time  to  expatiate  on  the  various  excel- 
lent specimens  of  painters,  good  and  rare,  such  as  Pietro 
Cavallini,  Andrea  Castagno,  Matteo  da  Siena, — of  whom 
we  have  a  Virgin  and  Child,  and  happily  not  his  oft- 
repeated  and  horribly  elaborated  Murder  of  the  Innocents, 
-  Taddeo  Gaddi,  who  shows  us  St.  Dominic  receiving  at 
the  hands  of  St.  Peter  the  sword  he  used  so  ruthlessly 
against  heretics.  Nor  can  I  do  more  than  offer  to  more 
leisurely  speculation  two  quaint  Byzantine  tablets,  in 
which  Julian  the  Apostate  is  being  speared  by  Mercou- 
rios  (1),  while  Maxentius  undergoes  the  same  fate  at  the 
hand,  not  of  Constantine,  but  of  one  Dicaterina,  —  St. 
Catharine,  I  suppose  ;  but  let  it  pass.  I  must,  however, 
do  homage  to  Sano  di  Pietro,  an  artist  whose  works,  even 
in  Italy,  must  be  sought  with  care,  as  nearly  all  the  best 
are  confined  to  his  native  city  of  Siena.  Nevertheless 
we  find  here  no  less  than  three  specimens  of  his  handi- 
work,—  an  Adoration  of  Magi,  a  St.  Margaret,  wonderful 
in  drapery,  and  a  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  so  pure  and 
sacred  in  feeling  as  to  show  at  once  his  right  to  the  title 
of  the  Sienese  Fra  Angelico.  Of  Filippo  Lippi  there  is 
an  Annunciation,  in  a  state  of  preservation  very  uncom- 
mon,—  and  the  same  subject  by  Credi,  clean  and  fresh  in 
coloring  as  all  his  works  are,  and  treated  in  a  very  pleas- 
ing, unconventional  manner. 


20 

"  Omnia  ex  oz'0,"  says  the  old  physiological  adage  ;  and 
I  presume  that  the  Virgin  Mary  herself  forms  no  excep- 
tion to  the  rule,  unless,  indeed,  the  dogma  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  interfere, — a  question  which  I  heg  to  refer 
to  his  Holiness  Pio  Nono.  At  all  events,  here  we  have 
the  Virgin,  very  pleasingly  painted  by  a  scholar  of  Alberti- 
nelli,  inclosed  in  an  egg, — not  a  vesica  piscis  glory,  nor 
an  oval  mass  of  clouds,  hut  a  veritably  well-painted  egg,— 
the  shell  broken  open  at  the  side,  the  fractured  edges 
carefully  drawn,  so  as  to  display  the  figure.  Leaving 
unsolved  the  mystic  meaning  of  this  very  pretty  picture, 
I  pass  to  another  Virgin  and  Child,  delicate  in  coloring, 
and  charming  in  expression,  by  Sandro  Botticelli,  —  and 
to  a  small  panel,  liable  to  be  overlooked  by  a  casual 
observer,  but  very  interesting  as  being  not  improbably 
the  identical  Birth  of  St.  John  painted  by  Masaccio  and 
described  in  Vasari.  The  circumstantial  evidence,  with 
which  I  shall  not  trouble  you,  is  very  strong  in  its  favor. 

You  know  the  man  of  many  names  :  Sodoma  to  the 
world,  Razzi  of  Siena  to  his  familiars  ;  and  now,  by 
favor  of  some  of  those  confounded  investigators  who  up- 
set our  faith  in  Romulus,  Richard,  Joan  of  Arc,  — nay, 
even  would  do  so  in  respect  to  Shakspeare  himself,— 
Bazzi  of  Piedmont  would  seem  to  be  the  genuine  name 
of  the  painter.  Happily,  these  rixce  de  lana  caprhiu 
are  very  unimportant ;  the  names  may  perish,  but  Romeo, 
Lear,  Hamlet,  and,  though  in  an  humbler  sphere,  the 
Chapel  of  San  Bernardino  at  Siena,  and  the  upper 
floor  of  the  Farnesina  at  Rome,  are  undeniable  facts. 
Mr.  Jarves  possesses  a  glorious  Razzi,  Christ  bearing 
the  Cross,  almost  as  rich  in  coloring  as  the  grand 


fresco  in  the  Belle  Arti  at  Siena,  and  decidedly  no- 
bler in  expression,  —  the  point  in  which  Sodorna  w;ts 
most  commonly  weak.  A  proof  of  this  assertion  may 
he  seen  by  comparing  his  celebrated  St.  Catharine  Faint- 
ing, in  the  Dominican  Church  at  Siena,  with  the  same 
subject  as  treated  by  Beccafumi  in  this  gallery.  Although 
in  many  points  closely  resembling,  and  generally  to  the 
advantage  of  Sodoma,  the  countenance  of  the  Father  in 
Beccafumi 's  work  is  far  grander. 

Do  you  remember  the  shops  of  the  pizzicaroli  at 
Rome  during  Passion  Week,  —  those  mysterious  cav- 
erns propped  by  sides  of  bacon,  panelled  with  hams,  and 
roofed  with  numerous  starry  lamps  twinkling  from  a 
heaven  of  lard  \  If  not,  read  Hans  Anderssen's  Impro- 
visatore,  or  look  with  me  at  a  picture  of  Masolino  da 
Panicale,  where  the  Virgin  is  adoring  her  new-born  in- 
fant in  front  of  just  such  a  cave.  Though  meant  for 
stone,  the  brown  walls  and  whitish  roof  bear  unmistak- 
able traces  of  their  adipose  porcine  models.  Germany, 
ever  anxious  to  get  a  foothold  in  Italy,  here  sends,  as  her 
representative,  a  Crucifixion,  by  F.  Franck,  —  how  oddly 
the  name  resembles  Francesco  Francia !  —  richly  colored, 
carefully  executed,  and  showing  a  wonderfully  elaborate 
background,  where  Jerusalem  appears  crowded  with  steep 
roofs,  golden  weather-cocks,  and  pepper-box  turrets. 
Truly,  the  early  Germans  were  no  more  solicitous  as  to 
anachronisms  than  the  later  Italians  ;  as  witness  a  Cruci- 
fixion here  by  Paolo  Veronese,  and  a  Tintoretto,  where 
St.  Agnes  is  unveiled  by  a  knightly  personage  in  rich 
black  armor  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  painter  has 
somewhat  softened  the  painful  character  of  this  subject 


by  the  compassionate  air  which  lie  has  given  to  the 
warrior. 

But  I  find  my  letter  has  already  run  to  an  unconscion- 
able length.  I  have  left  myself  no  room  to  speak  at  all, 
as  it  deserves,  of  what  is,  perhaps,  the  most  valuable  gem 
of  the  whole  gallery,  an  undoubted  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 
You,  who  know  that  Leonardos  are  so  rare  that  they  may 
in  general  terms  be  declared  quite  unattainable.  —  albeit 
they  figure  in  every  catalogue  as  surely  as  Johanniaber- 
ger  in  a  Rhine-steamer's  wine-list, — will  be  glad  to  learn 
that  Migliarini,  whose  judgment  cannot  be  called  in  quo- 
tion,  adds  the  weight  of  his  authority  to  the  preponderat- 
ing historical  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  this  work. 

I  should  like  to  detail  to  you  some  of  the  gorgeous 
court-costumes  devised  by  Paolo  Uccello,  to  grace  the 
pageant  where  King  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  meets 
the  Queen  of  Sheba, — to  speculate  on  the  interpreta- 
tion of  a  most  perplexing  and  enticing  allegory  by  Gen- 
tile da  Fabriano,  called  the  Triumph  of  Love,  —  and  to 
speak  more  fully  than  is  now  possible  of  a  beautiful 
female  head  by  Cesare  da  Sesto,  of  a  soldierly  Velas- 
quez, of  a  large  and  important  Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo. 

Before  concluding  this  very  imperfect  review,  in  which 
I  have  left  quite  unmentioned  many  interesting  pictures, 
let  me  revert  to  our  old  friend  Perugino,  with  whose 
name  I  began  my  letter,  and  of  whom  Mr.  Jarves  pos- 
sesses a  small  but  unmistakably  genuine  painting, —  as 
also  to  our  dearer  friend  Noll  Goldsmith,  whose  other 
recipe  was,  "  to  observe  that  the  picture  would  have  been 
better,  if  the  painter  had  taken  more  pains."  How  very 
safely  this  remark  may  yet  be  applied  to  the  Caracci  and 


their  school  !  Rarely,  if  ever,  do  we  meet  a  work  of  the 
Bolognese  school  which  does  not,  in  spite  of  its  unques- 
tionable merit,  offend  by  a  certain  careless  air,  which 
seems  to  show  that  the  painter  felt  himself  fully  equal, 
nay,  possibly  superior,  to  the  requirements  of  his  subject. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  conscientious  labor,  the  solemn 
purity,  visible  in  every  portion  of  a  painting  by  Duccio, 
Fra  Angelico,  or  Sano  di  Pietro,  impresses  on  us  the 
conviction  that  these  men  felt  called  on  to  make  a  holo- 
caust of  the  talent  God  had  given  them,  in  serving  as 
best  they  could  the  Giver. 

I  must  now  conclude,  and  only  hope  that  this  imperfect 
summary  may  suffice  to  show  what  can  be  done,  even  at 
this  late  period  of  picture-hunting,  when  good  judgment 
and  activity  are  backed  by  patience  and  well-timed  libe- 
rality. C.  C.  BLACK. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  T.  A.  TROLLOPE,  FROM  THE  LONDON  ATHENJEUM 
OF  12TH  FEBRUARY,  1859. 

FLORENCE,  January  20. 
***** 

I  WAS  invited  the  other  day  to  visit  a  gallery  of  pic- 
tures, the  collection  and  object  of  which  interested  me 
much,  and  seemed  strangely  to  indicate  the  apparently 
inexhaustible  artistic  wealth  which  has  been  stored  up  in 
these  old  Tuscan  cities,  as  in  a  garner  for  the  perennial 
supply  of  the  entire  world.  They  have  furnished  forth 
galleries  for  the  delight  and  Art-instruction  of  every  na- 


Di- 
llon of  Europe.  And  now  they  are  called  on  to  perform 
a  similar  civilizing  office  for  the  rising  world  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  And  to  how  great  an  extent  they 
are  still  able  to  answer  to  the  demand,  the  collection  I 
am  speaking  of  most  surprisingly  proves.  It  has  been 
brought  together  by  an  American  gentleman,  a  Bostonian, 
of  the  name  of  Jarves,  and  is  destined  to  form  the 
nucleus  of  a  public  gallery  in  his  native  city,  the  young 
Athens  of  America.  The  funds  necessary  for  its  collec- 
tion have  been  furnished,  I  understand,  by  a  public-spirited 
lover  of  Art  in  Boston,  with  the  view  of  supplying  his 
countrymen,  before  it  is  too  late,  with  the  means  of  ob- 
taining a  tolerably  competent  Art-education  without  the 
necessity  of  crossing  the  Atlantic  for  it.  One  would 
have  thought  that  it  had  been  already  too  late  to  accom- 
plish so  patriotic  a  purpose,  were  not  the  gallery  in  ques- 
tion here  to  prove  the  contrary.  Sir  Charles  Eastlake, 
I  am  told,  when  recently  here,  wistfully  sounded  the 
owner  as  to  the  possibility  of  tempting  him  to  relinquish 
one  or  two  of  his  treasures.  But  "the  almighty  dollar" 
has  already  ceased,  it  seems,  to  be  almighty  in  Boston  ; 
for  the  answer  was,  that  the  collection  would  go  unmu- 
tilated  to  America. 

This  first  attempt  to  make  the  New  World  a  sharer  in 
the  great  Art-heritage  of  Europe's  old  civilization  is  a  cir- 
cumstance so  interesting,  and,  in  view  of  the  special  bent  the 
specimens  obtained  may  give  to  an  entire  new  lineage  of 
Art  and  artists,  is  so  important,  that  it  seems  worth  while 
to  say  a  few  words  of  the  nature  and  merit  of  the  col- 
lection. 

Mr.  Jarves  has  been  for  some  years  a  resident  in  Flor- 


25 

ence,  and  has  devoted  himself  entirely  to  this  object.  In 
the  pursuit  of  it,  Yankee  energy  and  industry  were,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  not  wanting.  But  the  very  creditable 
knowledge  and  judgment  manifested  in  expending  the 
funds  devoted  to  the  object  might,  perhaps,  have  been  less 
to  be  anticipated.  And  Boston  has  been  very  fortunate 
in  being  catered  for  by  one  of  her  citizens,  perhaps  the 
only  one  living  who  has  given  many  years  of  his  life  to 
the  study  of  Italian  Art.  But,  most  of  all,  the  amazing 
good-fortune  which  has  helped  him  in  his  aim  will  strike 
those  who  can  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  speci- 
mens of  many  of  the  masters,  who  will  be  well  repre- 
sented in  the  Boston  gallery. 

Mr.  Jarves  has  done  wisely  in  seeking  to  make  his  col- 
lection especially  illustrative  of  the  history,  progress,  and, 
so  to  speak,  genealogy  of  the  Art ;  being  aware  that  it  is 
by  such  a  study  of  its  masters  that  an  artist,  as  distin- 
guished from  an  imitator,  must  be  formed.  He  has  also 
done  well  in  paying  particular  attention  to  the  condition 
of  his  specimens,  preferring  to  have  them  with  the  mark 
of  time  upon  them,  when«  not  such  as  to  deface  the  mas- 
ter's sense  and  treatment,  rather  than  to  have  more  showy 
pictures  at  the  cost  of  restoration  amounting  to  re-paint- 
ing. 

The  collection  is  especially  rich  in  specimens,  one  or 
two  of  them  almost,  if  not  quite,  unique,  of  the  earliest 
days  of  revived  Art.  Some  very  curious  Byzantine 
works  of  the  tenth  and  subsequent  centuries  bring  the 
history  down  to  Margaritone  da  Arezzo,  in  1&4-0,  who  is 
represented  by  a  most  remarkable  altar-piece.  There  is 
also  a  very  important  picture,  as  an  historical  document, 

4 


-26 

of  date  between  1198  and  1216,  which  maybe  found 
engraved  in  the  13th  volume  of  Futnagalli's  '•  Collection 
of  the  Principal  Pictures  of  Europe. " 

Cimabue,  Giotto,  Duccio,  Taddeo  and  Agnolo  Gaddi, 
Andrea  Orgagna  (a  picture  by  him  which  Sir  Charles 
Eastlake  had  previously  sought  to  purchase),  Gentile  da 
Fahriano  (a  signed  picture  by  this  very  rare  artist,  of 
whom  not  above  eight  works  are  known  to  be  extant  in 
Europe),  Fra  Angelico,  Sano  di  Pietro,  Masaccio  (a  frag- 
ment of  a  predella  cited  by  Vasari),  Fra  Filippo  Lippi, 
Botticelli,  P.  di  Perugino,  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  Fra  13ar- 
tolommeo  (a  very  grand  altar-piece),  Leonardo  da  Vinci 
(Holy  Family,  with  same  character  of  background  and 
about  the  same  date  as  Lord  Suffolk's  Vierge  aux  Rockers, 
a  very  valuable  and  undoubtedly  authentic  work),  Lo 
Spagna,  Sodoma  (two  fine  specimens),  Pinturicchio,  Do- 
menico  and  Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo,  Raphael  (a  very  inter- 
esting early  work,  painted  by  him  while  still  with  his 
master,  Perugino,  from  a  design  of  his,  but  with  varia- 
tions),—  all  these,  and  several  other  less  generally  known 
names,  are  represented.  There  are  also  some  interest- 
ing portraits,  especially  a  contemporary  one  of  Fernando 
Cortes,  and  a  full-length  Spanish  grandee  in  armor,  by 
Velasquez. 

It  will  be  admitted  that  no  ordinary  degree  of  good- 
fortune  must  have  been  added  to  activity  and  judgment, 
to  render  feasible  the  collection  of  such  an  assemblage  of 
genuine  pictures  at  this  time  of  day.  Those  who  have 
attempted,  with  more  or  less  success,  to  purchase  pictures 
recently  in  Italy,  will  probably  be  not  a  little  surprised 
that  it  should  have  been  possible.  And  it  may  In-  safely 


asserted,  that,  if  any  other  of  the  more  wealthy  commu- 
nities of  the  United  States,  stimulated  by  the  example 
and  success  of  my  Bostonian  friend,  should  think,  like 
Jack  the  Giant-killer's  Cornish  foe,  "  her  can  do  that 
herself,"  and  should  attempt  the  feat  with  twice  the 
pecuniary  means,  they  will  find  that  it  is  not  to  be  re- 
peated. And  it  is  probable  that  the  old  Puritan  city  of 
Xevv  England  will  hereafter  be  the  only  community  in 
America  possessing  a  fair  sample  of  ancient  religious  Art, 
—  unless,  indeed,  some  transatlantic  Napoleon  should,  in 
the  fulness  of  time,  administer  a  course  of  "  idees  Na- 
poleoniennes "  to  the  cities  of  the  Old  World  after  the 
manner  of  the  great  original. 

A  very  large  quantity  of  painted  canvas  and  wood  has 
of  late  years  been  exported  hence  to  the  United  States, 
to  the  great  encouragement  of  our  staple  manufacture. 
But  while  the  fact  shows  that  the  "  demon,"  who  "  whis- 
pers, 'Have  a  taste,'  "  has  crossed  the  Atlantic,  the  acqui- 
sitions hitherto  made  by  the  Great  Republic  have  only 
proved  the  urgent  need  that  some  means  of  instruction, 
such  as  that  here  provided  for  Boston,  should  be  furnished 
to  the  American  Art-patrons  who  travel,  as  well  as  to 
the  American  artists  who  stay  at  home. 

T.  A.  TROLLOPE. 


ARTICLE   FROM    THE    BOSTON    COURIER    OF  9XH  FEBRUARY,  1859. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  a  few  weeks  ago  there  ap- 
peared in  our  columns  a  letter  from  a  correspondent  in 
Florence,  speaking  in  very  high  terms  of  a  collection  of 
pictures,  especially  of  the  works  of  the  early  Italian 
artists,  made  by  our  townsman,  Mr.  James  Jackson 
Jarves.  Mr.  Jarves  has  been  for  some  years  engaged  in 
gathering  together  his  acquisition,  and  his  intention  is  to 
continue  in  the  same  pursuit  for  some  years  longer  ;  not 
with  a  view  of  accumulating  a  valuable  collection  which 
shall  be  held  for  the  exclusive  gratification  of  himself  and 
his  friends,  and  transmitted  to  his  heirs,  but  with  higher 
aims  and  ends.  He  wishes  to  employ  it  in  such  a  way 
as  to  promote  a  taste  for  Art,  and  the  cultivation  of  Art. 
among  his  countrymen  ;  and  having  been  born  and  reared 
in  Boston,  he  naturally  prefers  that  his  collection  should 
have  a  resting-place  here.  His  desire  is,  that  it  should 
be  purchased  by  subscription,  and  form  the  nucleus  and 
beginning  of  a  free  gallery  of  Art,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public  and  the  instruction  of  artists.  The  possession  of 
such  a  gallery,  in  combination  with  our  public  library, 
and  the  splendid  museum  of  natural  history  which  is  des- 
tined to  be  reared  at  once  in  our  immediate  neighborhood, 
would  give  to  Boston  peculiar  advantages  for  bestowing 
upon  its  citizens  that  finished  education  which  includes 
science,  literature,  and  the  fine  arts,  and  make  it  propor- 
tionally attractive  to  strangers.  In  a  community  like 
ours,  where  wealth  and  political  distinction  are  so  eagerly 
pursued,  —  neither  object  of  pursuit  being  very  elevating 


or  refining  in  its  effects,  —  a  public  gallery  of  works  of 
Art  would  shed  a  benignant  and  beneficent  influence  over 
all  that  came  within  its  sphere,  and  thus  tend  to  correct 
the  hardening  and  narrowing  tendencies  which  so  much 
beset  us. 

With  this  view  we  have  much  pleasure  in  bringing 
this  collection  again  to  the  notice  of  our  readers,  and  in 
laving  before  them  some  testimony  which  proves,  beyond 
question  or  cavil,  its  merit  and  importance.  The  first 
piece  that  we  offer  is  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Jarves  by 
Sir  Charles  Eastlake,  President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  a 
gentleman  cautious  alike  by  temperament  and  official 
position,  and  whose  words  may  be  fairly  taken,  therefore, 
to  mean  a  little  more  than  they  say  :  — 

7  FITZROY  SQUARE,  LONDON,  16th  Nov.,  1858. 
DEAR  SIR  :  — 

I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  propose  to  send  your  col- 
lection of  specimens  of  early  Italian  masters,  in  its  entire 
state,  to  America.  Few  would  have  taken  the  trouble 
you  have  gone  through  in  discovering  and  obtaining 
these  works.  Your  continued  residence  in  Tuscany  has 
enabled  you  to  avail  yourself  of  many  excellent  opportu- 
nities. Good-fortune  has  also  sometimes  rewarded  you  ; 
but  to  your  discrimination  and  knowledge  your  success 
is  chiefly  to  be  ascribed. 

I  consider  that  the  series  in  question  would  form  an 
excellent  foundation  for  a  gallery  of  Italian  Art,  and  I 
trust  that  in  your  native  country  it  will  be  appreciated 
and  kept  together.  I  purposely  avoid  particularizing  any 
works,  because  I  have  at  all  times  uniformly  declined  to 


30 

any  kind  of  certificate  as  regards  single  pictures  ; 
but  I  can  conscientiously  congratulate  you  on  the  forma- 
tion of  tbe  collection  as  a  whole.  I  believe  that  many 
valuable  additions  have  been  made  to  it  even  since  I 
saw  it. 

Wishing  you  all  success  in  your  patriotic  object,  I  am, 
dear  Sir, 

Your  faithful  servant, 

C.  L.  EASTLAKE. 
JAMES  J.  JARVKS,  Esq. 


We  next    present  a  translation   of  a    communication 

addressed  to  Mr.  Jarves  by  Prof.  Migliarini,  director  of 
the  Uffizii  Gallery,  an  artist  of  merit,  and  probably  the 
very  highest  authority  on  Art  in  Italy.  His  observations 
are  mostly  confined  to  a  single  picture  in  Mr.  Jarves's 
collection,  which  he  affirms  to  be  an  original  Leonardo 
<la  Vinci  ;  and  if  so,  we  need  not  say  that  it  is  a  posses- 
sion of  great  rarity  and  great  value.  The  technical  and 
scientific  character  of  Prof.  Migliarini's  remarks,  though 
it  may  make  them  less  interesting  to  the  general  reader, 
will,  we  trust,  commend  them  all  the  more  to  our  artist 
friends  :  — 


FLORENCE,  GALLERY  OF  THE  UFFIZII,  Oct.  15, 
M  v  DEAR  MR.  JARVES  :  — 

I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  express  my  satisfaction 
at  the  pleasure  afforded  me  of  admiring,  on  two  different 
occasions,  your  rich  collection  of  ancient  paintings,  in  the 
acquisition  of  which,  it  appears  to  me,  that  a  great  deal 


31 

has  been  owing  to  good-fortune ;   for,  without  this,  perse- 
verance and  money  would  have  been  of  little  avail. 

I  will  not  enumerate  the  many  different  artists  of  whom 
you  have  obtained  beautiful  specimens,  such  as  Cimabue, 
the  Giotteschi,  followed  by  Dello,  il  Pollajuolo,  il  Ghir- 
landajo,  and  many  others  ;  but  among  so  many,  I  will 
confine  myself  to  that  gem  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  which 
it  seems  to  me  incredible  that  you  should  have  been  able 
to  fall  in  with  and  possess. 

Every  one  knows  that  Da  Vinci  lived  long,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, did  little  in  painting ;  his  attention  having  been 
distracted  by  the  fortuitous  circumstances  in  life,  and 
more  by  the  many  other  sciences  he  professed,  in  which 
he  was  also  distinguished  as  a  great  genius.  There  are, 
thus,  many  galleries  which  boast  of  possessing  some  of 
his  productions ;  but  to  the  experienced  eye  of  the  con- 
noisseur it  very  often  happens,  that,  in  view  of  the  object 
decorated  with  so  great  a  name,  preconceived  expectation 
of  enjoyment  is  followed  by  the  silent  apathy  of  indiffer- 
ence,—  and  this,  all  the  more,  because  he  had  disciples  of 
great  merit,  who  imitated  him  with  much  ability. 

One  of  the  striking  peculiarities  of  your  picture  isy 
that  it  is  unfinished,  and  in  this  condition  it  best  proves 
its  true  originality.  For,  if  one  of  Leonardo's  best  imi- 
tators had  copied  it,  —  while  there  could  be  no  doubt  in 
regard  to  the  design,  well  known  to  be  that  of  Leonardo, 
and  his  drawing  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  "  il  Bambino"  is 
well  known,  —  he  would  have  carried  it  to  completion, 
either  for  pecuniary  benefit,  or  gain  in  reputation. 

But  here  I  may  be  asked,  if  a  copyist  in  such  a  case 
could  not  have  left  his  copy  unfinished.  I  am  willing  to 


admit  this  ;  but  would  ask  my  inquirer  to  reflect  that 
whoever  undertakes  Leonardo's  very  difficult  method  of 
laying  on  the  body  colors  would  not  dare  to  imitate  those 
occasional  dashes  of  the  pencil,  of  which  there  appear 
clear  indications  in  your  picture,  seeming  to  be  mere 
memoranda  for  changes  to  be  afterwards  made  at  pleas- 
ure. He  who  copies  so  great  an  artist  has  always  before 
his  eyes  the  almost  impossibility  of  imitating  him,  and 
consequently  lacks  the  courage  to  paint  with  entire  free- 
dom. 

Moreover,  let  it  pass  as  a  general  rule,  that  all  the  • 
imitators  of  Leonardo  are  apt  to  be  low-toned ;  yet  the 
lowest  tone  is  never  black ;  in  its  gradation  towards  the 
light  it  always  inclines  to  the  hue  of  bistre  or  tobacco 
color.  This  peculiar  characteristic,  it  seems  to  me,  had  its 
origin  in  the  experience  which  the  most  able  masters  of 
that  time  had  in  the  bad  effects  of  lamp-black,  employed 
by  Leonardo,  and  afterwards  by  Giulio  Romano.  These 
substituted  other  blacks,  which,  mixed  with  other  colors, 
produce  a  shade  tint.*  On  examination,  your  picture  li;is 
no  such  appearance,  but  is  really  coal-black  in  the  deep 
shadows,  as  is  always  the  case  with  the  works  known  to 
be  of  Da  Vinci. 

I  shall  probably  be  reminded  of  another  style  of  Leo- 
nardo's,   namely,    that    of   his    portraits,   in    which    this 


*  The  mixture  of  black,  in  the  shadows,  was  soon  found  by  experience 
to  be  a  very  pernicious  practice,  because  the  black  gradually  comes  to 
the  surface,  obscuring  the  other  colors  with  which  it  was  mixed ;  and  sub- 
sequent artists  made  it  a  rule  to  exclude  black  entirely  from  their  shadows. 
Instead  of  black,  they  used  a  mixture  of  deep  transparent  colors,  —  blue, 
red,  and  yellow,  mixed  to  a  neutral  tint. 


intense  blackness  is  seldom  found.  And  this  is  quite 
natural,  because  he  treated  historical  subjects  in  a  differ- 
ent manner  from  portrait-painting.  In  his  "  Treatise  on 
Painting,"  he  often  advises  the  sitter  to  be  placed  in  a 
broad  light,  so  that  the  features  may  not  be  cut  up  by 
too  violent  shadows.  Is  it  possible  that  he  would  recom- 
mend to  others  what  he  did  not  practise  himself  ?  Hence 
it  follows,  that,  in  a  broad  light,  he  could  dispense  with 
the  pernicious  use  of  black,  and,  for  this  reason,  many 
of  his  portraits  are  lighter  and  better  preserved. 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  enlarge  on  the  beauties  of 
this  painting,  as  this  would  lead  me  into  long  digressions  ; 
and  I  should  not  wish  to  describe  qualities  of  which  it  is 
impossible  to  give  an  approximate  idea  with  the  pen.  I 
will  only  remark  that  the  landscape  is  composed  of  many 
minute  features,  finished  with  great  minuteness,  in  order 
that  the  figures  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Child  may,  by  con- 
trast, gain  in  grandeur  of  effect. 

I  will  not  mention  Leonardo's  peculiar  grace  and  sweet- 
ness of  expression,  which  has  been  frequently  dilated 
upon  by  eminent  writers.  I  will  say  nothing  of  the 
wonderful  relief  of  his  chiaro  oscuro,  of  which  language 
cannot  give  the  slightest  idea. 

I  therefore  conclude,  congratulating  you  on  so  beauti- 
ful and  precious  an  acquisition ;  and  begging  you  to  re- 
ceive kindly  this  expression  of  my  admiration,  I  am,  with 
many  thanks  for  your  civility, 

Yours,  etc., 

M.   A.   MlGLIARINI. 


34. 

After  reading  the  above,  we  think  no  one  can  doubt 
that  Mr.  Jarves  has  gathered  together  a  valuable  and 
interesting  collection,  such  as  every  public-spirited  citizen 
of  Boston  would  be  glad  to  see  among  us. 


LETTER   OF   MONSIEUR   A.  F.   RIO   TO   MB.   JARVES. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  : 

I  HAVE  not  the  least  hesitation  in  declaring  that  I 
fully  believe  it  the  [Leonardo]  to  be  the  work  of  that 
great  master.  I  cannot  help  envying  your  good-luck 
in  making  such  a  valuable  acquisition.  You  could  not 
begin  your  collection  under  better  auspices.  The  gen- 
uine pictures  of  Leonardo  are  so  rare,  that  the  want  of 
one  has  left  to  this  day  a  sore  gap  in  the  gallery  of  many 
a  sovereign. 

You  are  quite  right  in  trying  to  get  pictures  of  the 
Sienese  school,  which  has  been,  till  now,  less  studied  than 
the  others,  and  which  is  growing  more  and  more  into 
repute.  Your  two  pictures  of  Antonio  Razzi  (Sodoma) 
are  quite  sufficient  to  give  an  idea  of  that  great  painter, 
who  has  so  often  been  compared  with  Raphael  himself; 
but  my  weakness  for  the  old  school  impels  me  to  say  that 
for  my  own  gratification  I  should  prefer  your  pictures  of 
Sano  di  Pietro.  A  time  will  come  when  that  charming 
master  will  be  appreciated  to  his  full  value,  and  his  works 
sought  after  as  so  many  precious  gems  of  mystical 
thought.  France,  England,  and  Germany  know  him 


35 

only  by  reputation.  I  do  not  remember  seeing  a  single 
picture  of  his  in  any  of  those  countries.  The  specimen 
which  you  possess  has  two  great  advantages :  it  repre- 
sents the  painter's  favorite  subject,  the  Coronation  of  the 
Virgin,  and  is  in  perfect  state  of  preservation.  I  have 
observed  in  your  collection  a  charming  little  picture  by 
Matteo  di  Giovanni.  Your  Gentile  da  Fabriano  is,  on 
account  of  its  date,  an  important  document  in  the  history 
of  that  school ;  and  I  should  place  still  higher  the  Madon- 
na between  four  Saints,  by  Lo  Spagna,  who  was  the  best 
pupil  of  Perugino,  next  to  Raphael. 

You  will  render  the  science  of  Art  more  accessible  to 
those  [in  America]  who  cannot  cross  the  seas  to  study  it 
in  its  birth-place. 

With  the  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  your  patriotic 
undertaking, 

Most  sincerely  yours, 

Rio.* 

*M.  Rio  is  the  well-known  French  writer,  the  author  of  an  important 
work  on  Christian  Art.  His  opinion  justly  carries  great  weight. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


